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Last Modified: 4/29/2008     First Published: 11/24/2002  
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Phase II Study of Tipifarnib and Tamoxifen in Women With Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer

Alternate Title
Basic Trial Information
Objectives
Entry Criteria
Expected Enrollment
Outline
Published Results
Trial Contact Information
Registry Information

Alternate Title

Tipifarnib Plus Tamoxifen in Treating Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer

Basic Trial Information

PhaseTypeStatusAgeSponsorProtocol IDs
Phase IITreatmentCompleted18 and overNCINCI-03-C-0037
NCI-5540, 5540, NCT00052728

Objectives

  1. Determine the maximum tolerated dose and recommended phase II dose of tipifarnib administered with tamoxifen in women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer (Phase I closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003).
  2. Determine the acute and chronic toxicity of this regimen in these patients.
  3. Determine the pharmacokinetics of this regimen in these patients.
  4. Determine the response rate and time to progression in patients treated with this regimen.

Entry Criteria

Disease Characteristics:

  • Diagnosis of metastatic (stage IV) breast cancer


  • Evidence of disease progression


  • Measurable disease


  • Must have been previously treated with at least 1 hormonal therapy with either an aromatase inhibitor or an estrogen receptor (ER)-modulating drug in the adjuvant or metastatic setting and meets 1 of the following criteria:
    • Hormone-responsive disease:
      • Stable disease (no recurrence or progression for at least 6 months)
      • Objective response
    • Hormone-nonresponsive disease:
      • No stable disease
      • No objective response


  • Previously treated CNS disease allowed provided patient has a life expectancy of at least 3 months (phase I patients) (Phase I closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003)


  • No CNS metastases (phase II patients)


  • Hormone receptor status:
    • ER and/or progesterone receptor positive
     [Note: As few as 1% positive cells considered positive]


Prior/Concurrent Therapy:

Biologic therapy

  • Not specified

Chemotherapy

  • No more than 2 prior chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease (phase II patients)
    • No limitations on prior neoadjuvant or adjuvant regimens
  • At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin)

Endocrine therapy

  • See Disease Characteristics
  • At least 6 months since prior tamoxifen
  • Concurrent stable dose of steroids allowed (phase I patients) (Phase I closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003)

Radiotherapy

  • No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery

  • Concurrent surgery allowed provided the need for surgery is not due to disease progression

Other

  • Recovered from all prior therapy
  • No prior warfarin
  • No concurrent cytochrome p450-inducing anti-convulsants
  • No other concurrent anticancer therapies
  • Concurrent bisphosphonates for bone metastases allowed

Patient Characteristics:

Age

  • 18 and over

Sex

  • Female

Menopausal status

  • Not specified

Performance status

  • Zubrod 0-1

Life expectancy

  • See Disease Characteristics

Hematopoietic

  • Absolute neutrophil count at least 1,500/mm3
  • Platelet count at least 100,000/mm3

Hepatic

  • Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL (unless evidence of Gilbert's disease)
  • SGOT and SGPT less than 3 times upper limit of normal (unless liver involvement by tumor)

Renal

  • Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL

Other

  • Not pregnant
  • Negative pregnancy test
  • Fertile patients must use effective nonhormonal contraception during and for 2 months after study participation
  • No medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude study participation

Expected Enrollment

A total of 9-12 patients will be accrued for the phase I portion of this study (Phase I closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003). A total of 27-40 patients will be accrued for the phase II portion of this study within 3 years.

Outline

This is an open-label study of tipifarnib (Phase I closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003). Patients are stratified according to benefit from prior hormonal therapy (yes vs no) (phase II).

  • Phase I (closed to accrual effective 10/23/2003): Patients receive oral tipifarnib twice daily on days 1-21. Patients also receive oral tamoxifen daily on days 8-18 (during course I only) and on days 1-28 during all subsequent courses. Courses repeat every 28 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

    Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of tipifarnib until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as the dose preceding that at which at least 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting toxicity.

  • Phase II: Once the MTD is determined, additional patients are accrued and treated at that dose level in the phase II portion of the study.

Patients are followed at 30 days.

Published Results

Lebowitz PF, Eng-Wong J, Widemann BC, et al.: A phase I trial and pharmacokinetic study of tipifarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and tamoxifen in metastatic breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res 11 (3): 1247-52, 2005.[PUBMED Abstract]

Lebowitz PF, Eng-Wong J, Balis F, et al.: A phase I trial of tipifarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and tamoxifen in hormone-receptor positive metastatic breast cancer. [Abstract] Proceedings of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 22 (Suppl 14): A-644, 38s, 2004.

Trial Contact Information

Trial Lead Organizations

NCI - Center for Cancer Research

JoAnne Zujewski, MD, Protocol chair
Ph: 301-435-9207
Email: zujewski@nih.gov

Registry Information
Official Title A Phase II Trial Of Tipifarnib (R15777, ZARNESTRA) In Combination With Tamoxifen In Subjects With Metastatic Breast Cancer
Trial Start Date 2002-12-02
Registered in ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00052728
Date Submitted to PDQ 2002-10-25
Information Last Verified 2005-05-20

Note: The purpose of most clinical trials listed in this database is to test new cancer treatments, or new methods of diagnosing, screening, or preventing cancer. Because all potentially harmful side effects are not known before a trial is conducted, dose and schedule modifications may be required for participants if they develop side effects from the treatment or test. The therapy or test described in this clinical trial is intended for use by clinical oncologists in carefully structured settings, and may not prove to be more effective than standard treatment. A responsible investigator associated with this clinical trial should be consulted before using this protocol.

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